What If It Happened Like This
by beaglelvr93
Summary: How would things have turned out if Booth and Brennan switched places? A series of shots which shows how things could have turned out differently. Some of these are from my ABC's series, but with new ones thrown in. Enjoy!
1. Pilot

"You're destroying evidence!" Brennan said hysterically, swaying a bit on the spot. "I can't let you do that."

Ken Thompson pulled a lighter from his pocket. With a flick of his thumb, a flame appeared.

"Watch me."Before she could pull out her gun, he dropped it.

The floor went up in flames and Brennan stumbled back, the hand holding her gun instinctively flying up to cover her eyes. Squinting through the smoke and flames, she saw Thompson heading out into the main part of the house. She stumbled after him, patting out some small flames on her shirt.

Tripping through the door he had just gone through, she saw him running up the stairs to a second floor. Ignoring the spreading flames and the smoke detectors, she followed. She was walking through a door into what she assumed was his bedroom when something flew out and hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground.

"You bastard." She spat through a split lip when she saw Thompson hovering over her. He pistol whipped her again.

"Shut up." Brennan hauled herself to her feet and walked over to where he was hurriedly grabbing a packed duffel bag. When he tried to leave, she blocked the door, her gun pointed at his leg.

"Where do you think you are going?" She asked.

"Aruba." Thompson said with a shrug and a smirk.

"You killed her, Thompson. You're not gonna get away with this." Tempe said, voice rough from the smoke that was filling the room as the fire crept closer to them.

"Once again, watch me." He made to move by her but Brennan was quicker. Swinging out a foot, she knocked his feet out from under him and sent him crashing to the ground at the top of the landing. On the ground, Thompson managed to swing a leg out as well, tripping the slightly intoxicated Doctor and sending her sprawling down the stairs. She tumbled and slammed into the wall with a sickening crack.

"Temperance!" A voice called. Twisting her head from her crumpled position, Tempe saw Oliver Laurier coming up the stairs, his sleeve covering his mouth and protecting him from the smoke. "Are you alright?"

"Oliver," Brennan started, once again dragging herself to her feet using the railing on the stairs for support, her gun still clutched in her other hand. "I realize that you're here out of a misguided concern for my safety, but I apparently don't read people very well and you could be in some kind of psychotic illusion with Ken..." She trailed off her rant at the mention of the killer and glanced towards the top of the stairs just in time to see him disappearing through the still open bedroom door. Swearing, she tore after him, ignoring the throbbing in her head and shoulder. She burst through the door to see Thompson attempting to open the window to climb out. Without a second thought, she shot him in the leg to prevent him from escaping.

"Temperance!" Oliver yelled from the first floor. "We have to get out now! The fire is almost up the stairs!" He couldn't get back up them to help her because the fire had spread almost all the way to the second floor.

Brennan looked back and forth between the writhing man at her feet and the doorway. As much as she would love for Thompson to burn for what he had done, she knew that the Ellers deserved a fair trial for their daughter. Making a decision, she grabbed Thompson by his arms and started to drag him to the door.

The smoke was almost unbearable by now. Getting down on the floor to stay out of it as much as possible, she continued to drag him towards the burning stairs.

"Help me, dammit! I can't drag you the whole way!" She snarled, kicking desperately, pushing off the wall to move them faster.

"I'm not going to jail." Thompson rasped out. It was then that Brennan realized she no longer had her gun. She stopped moving and slowly turned to face him. She was met with his psychotic smile and her own gun being pointed back at her. "And I'm not the only one that's getting shot tonight." Brennan lunged for the gun at the same time he fired.

The shot hit her squarely in the left shoulder and she screamed out in pain.

(--)

"Booth." The Agent answered dully, not in the mood for an interruption when he was trying to convict a Senator.

"Sweetie! You have to go help Bren! She just left!" Angela's shrill voice said frantically. Booth held the phone away from his ear.

"Calm down, Ange. What happened?"

"Bren was talking about fish, and how Thompson kept fish and diatomaceous earth and how she wanted me to call you but I don't know where she went and she just took off and what if she can't get him and she gets hurt?!" Angela said quickly and all in one breath.

"Are you drunk?"

"NO!" She yelled, but it was apparent that she was.

"Where did she go?" Booth asked calmly.

"To arrest Thompson, obviously!"

"Arrest...I do the arresting! Jesus, Bones." He mumbled, grabbing his Glock and coat and heading out of his office. "I'm on my way, Ange." Shutting his phone with a snap, he got in his car, still mumbling about reckless squints.

(--)

Pulling up to Thompson's house, Booth spotted Brennan's Jeep. Rolling his eyes at her independence, he leaned down grab his cell phone where it had fallen on the floor. When he straightened up, he saw something that absolutely stopped his heart.

The house was on fire.

Jerking his door open, he sprinted towards the house.

"BONES!" He yelled, trying to decide if he should just break down the door or call for help. Then he heard her blood-curdling scream making the decision for him. With a well placed kick, the door flew open and Booth ran inside. It was chaos.

Flames were burning every available surface, and the smoke was so thick that you could scarcely see, let alone breathe. Booth covered his mouth with his hand and plowed further into the house. He met Oliver Laurier at the foot of the stairs.

"Oliver!" Booth yelled. "What are you doing here?!" The man turned, shocked, towards him.

"Agent Booth! I keep hearing shots!" At Booth's questioning look, he explained. "They're up there! You can't get up though, the fire is too hot!"

"Too hot, my ass." Booth growled, and then closed his eyes and plunged into the smoke and flames. _(A/N: Get it? Get it? Too hot, his ass is!) _

Stumbling up the stairs, Booth eventually came upon his partner, curled up unconscious on the landing. Ken Thompson was next to her, a bullet right in the middle of his eyes.

"Bones!" Booth said frantically, scooping her into his arms. He looked back at the stairs – there was no way he could get back down them. Carrying Brennan, he retreated through the open door to a bedroom to try to find a way out.

(--)

Angela's phone rang and she hurriedly picked it up. "Montenegro!"

"Is this Booth's squint team?" A voice asked.

"Yes."

"This is Agent McDonahue on scene at Ken Thompson's house. Can you bring your team to the scene, please? Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan both went in and haven't come out yet, and I thought I should let you know. This is your case, after all."

"What do you mean, they haven't come out yet? Just go in and get them!" Angela said, confused.

"The DCFD is still trying to get the flames under control."

"FLAMES?! WHAT FLAMES?!" Angela shrieked loudly, causing Zack and Jack to run into her office in alarm. She waved them away.

"Please try to get here as fast as you can. We're suspecting arson, but because this is a murder investigation we're going to need your team to do their thing..."

"MURDER?!" Angela yelled. "Booth... Bren..."

"They haven't turned up yet, Ms. Montenegro, but I'm sure they got out alright. The fire was contained mostly on the first floor."

"We're on our way." She said, hanging up the phone. Grabbing her coat, she ran out of the lab, Zack and Jack hot on her heels.

(--)

"Hang in there, Bones." Booth said, cradling his partner to his chest as he carefully climbed out the window and onto the roof of the garden shed. "Almost there, Tempe. We're gonna make it." He managed to jump off the shed and onto the ground without dropping her, but as soon as his feet hit the ground he got dizzy. Blinking, he tried to steady himself.

_Lack of oxygen. Too much smoke. _He thought. Knees buckling, he sank to the ground. Gently placing Brennan next to him, he brushed a piece of hair our of her face.

"Save her." He croaked before passing out next to his partner.

(--)

Angela, Jack and Zack arrived a few minutes later, screeching to a halt in front of the house. Most of the flames were out by now.

Angela jumped out of the passenger's seat and after a quick glance at both Booth and Brennan's cars, hurried over to Agent McDonahue.

"Where are they?" She demanded.

The agent turned to the frantic artist. "We haven't found them yet, but I was just about to send a team out to search the yard. The firemen are searching the house as we-"

"We've got bodies!" Came a yell. Angela and McDonahue locked gazes in fear before sprinting off in the direction of the yell.

"How many?!" McDonahue asked.

"Two." Replied the fireman. "One at the foot of the stairs, and the other at the top with a bullet between his eyes."

Angela let out a wail. "Booth! Bren!"

"We don't know that yet." McDonahue said, trying to sooth her.

"Get the EMTs over here!" Came another yell. "We've got two live ones!" Angela perked up. Starting around the back of the house where the commotion was, she motioned for Zack and Jack to follow her. The team came upon a small group of agents and EMTs, attending to two forms on the ground.

"Bren! Booth!" Angela said hysterically. Booth was curled on his side, his arms wrapped around Brennan, who's shoulder was bleeding freely.

"I'm going to need you to give them space, ma'am." One of the EMTs said as the others started to work on the partners. A few minutes later they were both hooked up to oxygen and on stretchers. Brennan's shoulder had a temporary bandage on it, and they had cleaned the cut on her lip.

"Let's pack it up, boys. The woman is going to need surgery on that shoulder and some stitches on her forehead." The lead EMT shouted, rounding up his team as they all piled back into the ambulance and headed off for the hospital.

The squints followed close behind.

(--)

Temperance Brennan opened her eyes slowly. Slamming them closed immediately when a blinding light met her eyes and terrifying memories met her brain, she whimpered slightly.

_The smoke, the fire. The gunshot to her shoulder...Oliver... shooting... Oh god, did she shoot Thompson?_

"Bones?" Booth's voice came from her left. Flipping her head in the direction of his voice, she opened one eye. Upon seeing her partner lying in a bed next to her, she opened the other eye.

"What happened?" She rasped, and then broke off coughing. Booth hauled himself out of bed and was holding a cup of water with a straw out to her in an instant.

"You took in a lot of smoke." He explained, placing the cup back on the small table next to her bed and sitting next to her on her bed.

"Why are you here?"

"I don't really remember WHY. All I remember is pulling you out of the house, and then I think I passed out from the smoke as well. What about you? How'd you get shot?" She flinched at his words.

"Ken... is he?" She asked, afraid to meet his eyes. Booth nodded, but after he realized she wasn't looking, said "Yeah."

"I didn't mean to..." Brennan sniffed. "One second I was trying to get him out and then he had my gun and I just... I just reacted." Booth carefully wrapped his arm around her, careful of her shoulder.

"It's gonna be ok, Bones. We'll get through this."

"I can't believe I killed him." She murmured. "How did you do it?" She asked, referring to his sniper days.

Booth's eyes darkened with pain. "You learn how to shoot."

"Why do you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?"

"This. Catch the bad guys. It's not fair that Thompson got off so easily. He should have gone to jail."

"You tried, Temperance. That's all you can do. And as for why I do it? You. . . know my past. I've done bad things. Now, I want to try to catch as many murders as horrible things I've done." Booth explained as Tempe chuckled softly.

"Please don't think there is some sort of cosmic balance sheet." At Booth's reproachful look, she sobered. "I'd like to help you with that."

The charming smirk was back. "Ehhh." He said, rolling his eyes and bumping her good shoulder with his. Brennan smiled, rolling her eyes back and laying her head on his shoulder.

Together, they learned to shoot, they learned to love, and they learned to live.


	2. Two Bodies in a Lab

_Well I'm HOTBLOODED_

_Check it and see_

_I've got a fever of a hundred and three_

The call from David had been awkward at the least. Now they were standing there, music still blasting and not sure of what to do next. Deciding to break the tension, Booth asked the first thing that came into his head.

"You have anything to drink? Water, juice?" He threw in a charm smile just because. Brennan smiled hesitantly back.

"Sure, let me go get it." Booth watched her start for the kitchen. Normally he would have argued that he wasn't a guest and she didn't have to serve him, but he wanted to take another look through her music collection.

Booth was flipping past 'Green Day' when he heard the explosion. Whipping around and sprinting towards the kitchen, he dropped to an unconscious Brennan's side and, after after hauling the door off her small frame, proceeded to pat the flames away with his jacket. Dragging her into his lap, he put two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. It was weak but there. He put his ear next to her nose. There was no sound of breathing.

"Hang in there, Bones." He pleaded, starting CPR.

Growing more desperate with every minute that passed, Booth continued to breathe for her. Finally, a few minutes later she started coughing from the smoke.

"Shhh..." Booth soothed, wrapping his arms around her and rocking her back and forth. "You're safe. I've got you."

Brennan whimpered and curled a hand around the material of his shirt before passing out again. Booth cradled her to his chest while calling 911 on his cell phone.

"911, what's your emergency?" A bored female voice asked.

"I need an ambulance to Riverside, apartment 2B. There's been an explosion."

"Right away, sir. And try to remain calm-" Booth didn't hear her advice as he had already flipped his phone shut. Opening it again he dialed Cullen.

"Cullen."

"Sir, it's Booth. Can you send a forensics's team to Dr. Brennan's apartment?"

"Yes. What happened? Can't you call Dr. Brennan herself?" Cullen asked, confused.

"There was a bomb in her fridge. She's unconscious." Booth explained, clutching her tighter to him.

"Jesus." He heard Cullen mutter. "I heard the call that there was a bomb, but didn't know it was you. Are you hurt?"

Booth answered no, but his mind was telling him different. _My other half is hurt. _He thought.

(--)

The next three hours Booth spent on auto pilot. The ambulance arrived and the EMT's started to work on Brennan. Soon after, the FBI forensics's team showed up and Booth immediately started giving out orders.

"I want ALL particulates and samples sent to the Jeffersonian!" He barked as they got to work. "Don't miss a square _inch _of this kitchen!! I want to know who planted that bomb! And I want the report on my desk YESTERDAY!" A voice interrupted Booth's tirade.

"Agent Booth? Are you coming with us?" He turned around to see a young EMT at the door. Nodding, he followed him to where Brennan was strapped to a stretcher. He didn't remember much of the ride to the hospital other than the feel of her heartbeat against his palm as he held her hand.

He filled out forms for another half hour. Then it was sit and wait time.

Two hours of worrying later, he was aloud to see her.

"She should wake up within the next 24 hours." The doc informed him before leaving him alone with his partner.

Just seeing her made his heard ache. Hooked up to wires, tubes and IV's, beeping machines and monitors, she looked like death warmed over.

Sitting beside her and taking her hand, Booth finally let the events of the day catch up with him as he drifted off to sleep slouched half on the bed and half on the hard plastic chair. Once again, he held her hand and let her gentle heartbeat calm him.

(--9am, Next day--)

"Sweetie!" A worried Angela shrieked, running into Bren's hospital room. The anthropologist woke with a start, but the FBI agent that was currently curled next to her, slept on.

"Shhh. You'll wake him up." Brennan warned.

"Sorry!" Ange apologized. "But sweetie – what happened? We got a call this morning from Cullen. He said you were both in the hospital and I rushed over here without waiting for the full story..."

"Honestly, I don't know what happened. All I remember is going to the fridge to get something for Booth-" She paused. "Did my fridge _explode_?"

"Yeah it did, Bones." Booth said sleepily from her side, burying his face further into the pillow, and her neck.

"Ummm... Booth?" Brennan asked, sharing a look with a grinning Angela.

"What?"

"Can you get off me?" She asked.

"No." He mumbled back, tightening his arms around her.

"No?!"

"I'm comfortable."

"And I'm concussed and cranky and you're squishing my broken ribs." Brennan huffed. He got off her quick at that.

"I'm so sorry Bones! I didn't mean to hurt-" He stopped, seeing her triumphant grin. "Why are you smiling like an idiot?"

"Because you are so... what's the word?" Bren looked over at Ange again. "Easy." She erupted into a fit of giggles and hiccups. Booth looked to Angela for explanation.

"Did I mention that morphine makes Bren high?" Booth shook his head.

"Booth! Did you get particulates from my kitchen?" Bren asked, suddenly sober.

"Yes, they were very thorough and I was very annoying." He said with a grin.

"Well, I must be going. Have fun you two!" Angela said. She was half way to the door before Booth caught up with her.

"I'll be right back, Bones!" He said loudly, and then added in an undertone to Ange, "I need to talk to you."

"Once in the hallway, Ange asked, "What's up?"

"Bones. High. What am I supposed to do?" He asked, slightly desperate.

"You'll be fine, hun. She's just going to be giddy for a bit. And I didn't tell you this, but-" Looking up and down the hall to make sure no one was within earshot, Angela leaned up and in a stage whisper, said, "She'll tell you anything when she's high. If I were you, I'd play 20 questions." With a final wink and a dramatic wave, the artist pranced off down the hallway. Booth was about to walk back into the room when his cell rang.

"Booth."

"Hey Booth, this is Hodgins. I have results from the samples from Dr. Brennan's apartment. Can you come into the lab?"

"Can't you just explain it to me? I don't want to leave her like this. Who ever tried to kill her is still out there."

"I'm sorry, man. When Ange gets back we're going to run the Angelator. We need you here."

Booth ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'll be there." Hanging up, he dialed Jamie Kenton.

"Kenton."

"Jamie, can you do me a favor?" Booth asked.

"Sure. What?" The agent asked from his hiding place in a closet down the hall from Brennan's room.

"Can you come to the hospital and watch over Bones for me while I run to the lab? I don't want her to be alone."

"Sure. I'll be there in 10." Hanging up, Jamie Kenton glanced at his watch. He had ten minutes to set his evil plan into action.

(--)

Kenton moved closer to her bed, watching her sleeping form. Her eye lids fluttered open and she blinked at him in confusion.

"Where's Booth?" She asked.

"Hollings has him. "

"What!?" Brennan shrieked, trying to get out of bed. "How, why?"

"He's being held captive at an abandoned warehouse. I can take you to him if you'd like."

"Captive? How do you know and why haven't you contacted the FBI?"

"Temperance, Temperance, Temperance." He chuckled. "Or should I say _Bones_?" He taunted. Brennan had pulled out her IV, was out of the bed, and was nose to nose with him in an instant.

"Take me to him." She demanded.

Kenton chuckled again. "As you wish." He was pleased to see that she held an arm around her broken ribs as she limped out of the hospital after him. They got into his truck and started off. Tempe knew that she should be keeping track of where he was taking her, but she was too concentrated on the pain in her side. About twenty minutes later they pulled into an empty lot outside a bunch of rundown buildings.

Kenton got out of the car, went around to Bren's side, yanked the door open and pulled her out. She let out a yelp of pain.

"Let me go!"

"Come on." He commanded, ignoring her cries. When they got into the building, he threw her onto the ground in front of a harsh looking metal chair.

"Where is he? You said he was here!" Brennan protested, even as she was doubled over in pain.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Brennan." She didn't have time to defend herself before the butt of Kenton's gun knocked her out.

(--)

Seeley Booth paced furiously on the platform at the lab. He had called the hospital to tell Brennan that he was running a bit late but that he would be bringing dinner by later. They informed him that she had disappeared.

After he and the squints checked all the normal 'Brennan Hiding Spots', they had come to the conclusion that she left with Kenton.

"Why did she leave with him and where the hell could he have taken her?" Booth wondered aloud.

"She obviously left under her own control, and in a hurry. There was no sign of a struggle in her room, but she ripped her IV right out." Hodgins said from his station.

"I was just looking over her x-rays. The only reason that she survived the explosion is because she was looking back towards the window. That twisted her body enough so that she didn't take the full brunt of the blast."

"Why would she be looking at the window?" Angela asked, looking up briefly from her sketchbook.

"Me." Booth said, his voice barely above a whisper. "She was looking back at me." A look of determination shadowed his face and he stood up straiter.

"I'm gonna go find her. I can't just sit here. Call me if you find anything." He said, jumping the steps of the platform and jogging out of the lab.

Jumping into his car and stomping on the gas, Booth started off towards the scene of the original crime. Maybe there was something the team missed.

(--)

Booth slammed his door shut, pulling out his gun from it's holster and starting for the run-down warehouse. He had a feeling that there was someone, or something, inside. Going into Ranger mode, he crept through the doorway, looking both ways before proceeding. It wasn't long before he heard voices.

"You won't feel a thing, though. You'll be long gone." _Kenton! _He thought. _It was him! _

"You bastard. They will catch you for this-" A loud smack and a whimper resonated throughout the room. Booth crept closer.

"Goodbye, Dr. Brennan." Booth rounded the corner just in time to see Kenton raise his gun to hit Brennan, who was tied to a hook hanging from the ceiling. Aiming, Booth shot him in the arm causing him to drop the gun. There was a scuffle and two more gunshots before the warehouse fell silent.

"Booth." Came his partner's whimper.

"Bones!" Limping over to her, Booth attempted to lift her off the hook. The bullet in his shoulder was making that difficult so he put his head between her tied hands and gently lowered her to the ground.

"You're hurt." She said.

"I'm fine, Bones. Kenton isn't going to hurt anyone anymore. What about you? How'd you get out of the hospital?" He asked, worry evident in his tone.

"Kenton gave me a ride, but maybe... maybe you could give me a ride back?" He nodded, standing and pulling her up with his good arm. Handing her his cell, he told her to dial 911 as he gently removed the ropes from around her wrists. Ten minutes later an ambulance pulled up.

(--EMT's POV--)

It seemed like a normal call. Gun shot wounds, down in one of the old warehouses. I suited up as Sam drove his usual 60 miles an hour. We arrived at the scene and headed inside. When I found where everyone was, I laughed.

It was the same man and woman from the apartment call the day before, in pretty much the same position. She was in his lap, and

"What are you two doing out here? Isn't she supposed to be in ICU?" I asked, leaning down to treat the man's shoulder.

"She's SUPPOSED to be." He replied, wincing as his arm was patched up.

"I'm fine." The woman winced, clutching her ribs.

"No, you aren't." I replied. "Come on, let's get you two back to the hospital." After some grumbling and a not so nice threat to take pudding away, Sam and I managed to get them into the ambulance. The other man was dead – we called the Jeffersonian to pick him up par request of the man.

(--)

"Well, at least he didn't take the pudding." Booth said happily from his bed, scraping the bottom of yet another plastic container. Brennan rolled her eyes at his childish behavior, watching him eat the rest of his pudding. They each had their own hospital bed and small stash of pudding containers. Deciding it couldn't be bad if Booth was devouring it like so, she reached for her spoon. He heard her whimper, and looked over at her.

"You ok, Bones?" She nodded, her fingers inching towards the spoon on the table next to her bed. Booth was out of bed and handing it to her in an instant. As she popped the top off her pudding, Booth glanced down at his empty dish with an over-exaggerated sigh and pout. Rolling her eyes again, Tempe motioned for him to lay next to her.

"We'll share." She said, taking a spoonful and attempting to raise it to her mouth. She let out a frustrated sigh when she couldn't raise her arm high enough. Sending a pleading look in Booth's direction, she held out the spoon to him. He took it and raised it to her mouth with his good hand.

Brennan's eyes fluttered closed as she swallowed the chocolate pudding. Booth took a spoonful for himself, and then held out another to Tempe. They ate their way through her 'stock' of puddings, and fell asleep in each other's arms, both of them finally feeling safe.


	3. Pain in the Heart

A new twister! Hope you like this one. Honestly, why didn't this happen on the show?

--

_How can he be dead? He can't be. I shouldn't be here. I can't be here. This funeral can't be real. He can't be dead._ Temperance Brennan thought rapidly and repeatedly, her thoughts loud to try and block out the pain she was feeling. Sweets said that the funeral was a time to grieve – well what if she didn't want to grieve? What if she wanted to believe that he was alive, blissfully unaware that he was, in fact, three feet away from her in a coffin?

In a last ditch attempt to distract herself from her emotions, she started to recite, at random, the bones of the body.

_Tarsals, ulna, femur, phalanges-_

The military salutes were doing something fancy with their guns, but Temperance was concentrating.

_Metatarsals, clavicle, scapula, patella-_

One of the men in uniform was moving. He went for a man standing in the back. The two men scuffled around, kicking and punching. The casket toppled over as a man ran into it, revealing a manikin. The man from the back row managed to knock the soldier's hat off, giving Brennan a clear view of his face.

She felt her heart leap and sieze up at the same time. Grabbing a fake arm from the casket, she hit the assailant over that head, knocking him out.

"Bones!" Booth exclaimed, breathing heavily. "Nice shot-"

WHAM! Brennan punched him square in the jaw, knocking him flat. People around them gasped as she stood, shaking with rage, over her partner. With a groan, the injured agent staggered to his feet.

"What-" He was cut off as she jerked his lips to hers, kissing him angrily. Her lips attacked his, the bruising force matching the pain she felt inside. Her fingers threaded into his hair as she whimpered into his mouth, overwhelmed. Pulling away, she roughly fisted his hair, forcing his head down so that he had to look her in the eyes.

"If you _ever _do that again," She warned, voice low and shaking with emotion, "It will be _me _putting you in that casket."

Releasing him, she stalked away, tears stinging her eyes.

"Bones!" Booth yelled, starting after her. A hand on his arm stopped him.

"Let her go." Sweets said. Seeing Booth's face and recognizing the man's need to comfort his partner, the shrink added, "Go get some ice and give her a little time to calm down. Her car's here, she can't go far."

Nodding in defeat, Booth accepted the ice pack that Angela handed him, pressing it to his blackening eye with a sigh.

He'd give her one thing. She had a mean right hook.

--

At the grave of Christine Brennan -

"Are you really alive too?" Brennan asked her mother's grave as she angrily paced in front of it, swiping at tears. "No, I identified you. I believe in facts. Arrrggg!" She yelled angrily, "I knew it was a stupid idea to come to this funeral!"

Booth, who had been coming to find her, stopped in his tracks. _She thinks my funeral was stupid? _He watched as her tears turned to sobs. She sank down next to the headstone, burying her face in her arms.

"He didn't even tell me he was alive! Does he _care _that-," Shakily she gulped and tried to continue, " That he. . . he. . . oh Mom. I told myself. . . I _promised _myself that I wouldn't fall in love with him. And he was gone and I wanted to die, it hurt so much. I felt it - I felt my heart shatter when they told me he was dead. I can't go through that again, Mom. I can't.

"All I was thinking was, 'How can a bullet kill my Booth?' He's stronger than that. He has to be. He left me, goddammit!"

"But he came back." A soft voice said from behind her. Turning, she saw a sheepish yet pleading Seeley Booth, free of his military gear yet sporting a magnificent black eye.

"What do you want?" Brennan asked, trying to sound icy and cold but coming off as more hurt and betrayed. Silently, Booth limped over and eased himself onto the ground next to her. Meeting her gaze, he tried to apologise with his eyes. Tears continued to make their way down her cheeks.

With a sigh, Booth leaned in and rested his forehead against Brennan's. Both sets of eyes slid shut contentedly. Brennan couldn't even remember what she was mad at him for – just having him here, alive, was such a relief.

"I'm sorry, Bones. I thought they told you." She shook her head, dropping the contact from his forehead to his shoulder as she pressed closer to him, hardly daring to believe he was really there.

Bren felt a drop of water on her cheek. Looking up, she saw Booth furiously trying to blink as he black eye watered. Laughing, she curled further into him, all tension gone from her body.

"Don't laugh." He muttered, arms settling around her waist. "You don't know your own strength, Miss. Brennan."

"Maybe I don't." She agreed. _But I know that as long as you're here, I'm invincible. _


End file.
